Dogs are about as smart as a 2-year-old, scientist says

During a lecture this weekend at the American Psychological Association dog psychologist Stanley Coren will speak about how dogs think.

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Border collies: The smartest?

I have literally no idea how scientifically valid his work is — my only college course in psychology was a go-at-your-own-pace pass/fail affair — but I figured dog owners would be interested all the same.

According to Coren, the five most intelligent dog breeds are:

1. Border Collie

2. Poodle

3. German Shepherd

4. Golden Retriever

5. Doberman Pinscher

And the least intelligent five are:

106. Borzoi

107. Chow Chow

108. Bull dog

109. Basenji

110. Afghan Hound

Based upon various behavioral measures Coren says dogs have the mental ability of a human child age 2 to 2.5 years. Maybe. My 2-year, 2-month-old kid can have a conversation on the phone with her grandparents. Not sure my dog can.

Anyway, the average dog can apparently learn about 165 words and signals, while the smartest dogs can probably learn up to about 250 words. They can also count to four or five.